Category: Training & Workshops

The 4th of November I gave a training with the theme ‘A Fun Filled Life’. It was soooo much fun to present this training to an audience of 25 heads. Especially because the training consisted of several surprising and confronting parts and exercises! How come I know this? Because while I was contemplating on what I would put in the training I shared some of my ideas with my partner. Many times he was like: “So, what would you like to achieve with this exercise?” and “Are you sure about presenting this?” Yes, he was trying to understand me. Even though he questioned me I felt he trusted my abilities as a coach/trainer. Finally, he decided to leave me playing around: “We will see how they will react!”

To answer his questions: what I wanted to achieve with the exercises is what I had discussed earlier with the client. They recently had been through a reorganisation and there was one coming up. The atmosphere on the workfloor was a negative one. Employees were gossiping away, working on the projects they needed to do in stead of doing more than they were asked to do. The client wanted me to spark the fire to create an attitude which would reflect teamwork, switching from a negative point-of-view to a positive one with many possibilities.

Like my partner, I was really eager to see their reactions and if they would be willing to play along. The result was that like 95% of the participants were easily motivated to stand up and move, share their views and work on the exercises. The group consisted of a wide range of positions held in the company, such as advisors, secretaries, controllers and a director.

Three weeks later I had a feedback session with the client. I received some great feedback. One thing which was definitely mind blowing to me was that I worked time orientated. The feedback was to let go of the time frame towards the participants and keep it 100% to myself.

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Yesterday I was present at their annual reunion and gave a presentation/ interactive workshop about how to bind people to organisations. How to keep your member motivated and enthusiastic to play an active role in the association. The afternoon was split in two parts. Before the pause I spoke about the importance of having a vision and a mission and how you can effectively use communication as an instrument to keep the members of an association motivated. I asked for their full cooperation so we could hand the board of members a lot to think about. After the pause I led a workshop with the theme ‘Moving in Freedom’.

My challenge was to get this group of shy people participating in what I was about to discuss with them. So to start of my presentation I said to them: “With such a big group of shy people I can’t expect nothing less than an huge amount of responses!” This remark got the crowd laughing and the ice was broken. To create a safe atmosphere I used an NLP technique and everyone started smiling and I could start off with everything I had planned.

The crowd provided a lot of information about how they see the vision for their association. Images like water, fireworks, a rollercoaster, green nature, a little duck on water, a butterfly, open curtains where the sun is shining through would get them moving towards taking more initiative, feeling comfortable within a crowd and feel playfull and calm. It was so much fun to motivate them to share their ideas.

After the pause I gathered the people in a circle and got them moving on salsa music. The exercise was to imitate me in my movements and this was only the warming -up. After the warming -up it was their turn to come up with a movement which we all would imitate. It was fun and the movements were inspired by dance, sports and clapping. They all got to the third challenge to stand in the middle of the circle and show their movement to get us moving again. Moving into the last exercise I turned of the music and for everyone who wanted to challenge themselves they could stand in the middle of the circle being quite and feel the attention of the crowed. I was happy to see that so many people felt the courage to do so. Some even surprised themselves, because they also enjoyed to be in the middle of all the attention.

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Today I gave a workshop about ‘Taking Time for yourself’ for Moms. And just by taking the time to go to this workshop they already took time for themselves. I got so inspired about the exchange of personal stories, the spontaneous tears of joy of a mom who realized that she was able to feel who she is deep down inside. A part of her which was hidden for a long time behind things to do, ambitions to follow and expectations to live up too. Yes, she was still there!

As a preparation for this workshop I spoke to moms, dads, baby sitting people and parents -to-be. A guy I spoke to from the baby sitting people said that the time issue is not only a problem for moms and all of their organisation around their kids. Time is an issue of the Western society we live in. He and his girlfriend struggle with time management with all of the things they need and desire to do. His thoughts about managing time linked strongly to the my set up for the workshop. Taking time for yourself could be a problem for everyone so instead of focussing on their motherhood I wanted to bring the moms to the basics. What defines you as a person? And from this definition you can make choices more easily and a stronger internal motivation.

So I took the six moms through the Identity Matrix. The Identity Matrix is a tool to symbolize your core, potential, shadows and so on. What I added up to this was a real challenge for the moms who were present. Based on the open, nice and light atmosphere I asked them to stand in the middle of the ro0m to walk through their Identity Matrix. I guided them through this. As a coach I focus on taking people to a place where they are able to take action. This Identity Matrix is a tool for them to experience how they feel, think and act in a particular part of who they are. So how would you act from your feelings and thoughts which defines your core?

All the woman were happy that they created a map of their Identity which they could use as an inspiration to take steps towards the life they desire to live in.

Are you interested in joining a workshop or even better, start your own DreamTeam and get groupcoaching just like in this workshop, then read on!

Does this make you curious about my work? Then I would like to invite you to subscribe to the Orchid of Life Newsletter. This is a monthly newsletter in which I hand you LifeCoachingTips, an update about my LifeCoaching activities, blogs, articles and discounts. Further you will receive a two -monthly Orchid of Life Newsletter which is called ‘Focus on Love’. Click here for subscribing on the English Homepage of the Orchid of Life website.

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Would you like to be updated on my work? Then you can subscribe to the Orchid of Life Newsletter. This is a monthly newsletter in which I hand you lifecoaching tips, an update about my LifeCoaching activities, blogs, articles and discounts. Further you will receive a two -monthly Orchid of Life Newsletter which is called ‘Focus on Love’. Click here for subscribing on the English Homepage of the Orchid of Life website.